MOBILE phone giant Vodafone has revealed that Governments around the world have been using secret wires to listen in on calls made on its network.

Vodafone has revealed that governments in 29 countries are able to listen in on mobile phone calls [IG/GETTY]

In a worrying case of Big Brother, as many as 29 countries have snooped on their citizens by monitoring conversations and tracking users through their phones.

The details have been unveiled in a new report which reveals the unprecedented intrusion into privacy.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights campaign group Liberty, said the fact governments had access “at the flick of a switch” was “terrifying.”

Vodafone revealed that direct-access wires or pipes were connected directly to its network by Governments in Europe and beyond.

From there it was possible to listen to and record conversations, as well as capture meta data such as location, times and dates of calls.

In six countries that Vodafone operate in it is a legal requirement, meaning the company was obliged by law to allow direct monitoring and does not need to be informed.

All mobile phone providers are subject to the laws which allow this access but Vodafone is the first network to speak out on the issue.

In six countries, governments are able to access mobile communications directly [GETTY]

For governments to access phone calls at the flick of a switch is unprecedented and terrifying

Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty

The details were revealed in a 40,000-word document entitled Law Enforcement Disclosure and the company called for an end to the practice.

Stephen Deadman, Vodafone's group privacy officer, said: "We are making a call to end direct access as a means of government agencies obtaining people's communication data.

"Without an official warrant, there is no external visibility. If we receive a demand we can push back against the agency. The fact that a government has to issue a piece of paper is an important constraint on how powers are used."

Mr Deadman said the use of direct-access pipes in the UK would be illegal because agencies have to obtain a warrant to get information.

In 2012, the UK issued 2,760 warrants for warrants for the content of calls and messages - rather than metadata – compared with 141,000 made by Italy, the report said.

Mr Deadman said: "We need to debate how we are balancing the needs of law enforcement with the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizens."